after another of whom are told of in the chapters that succeed this, and ending with the judgment on Babylon. Egypt and Babylon were the two great empires between which unhappy Judaea was " like a nut between the forceps," so that when these two drew together it went ill with the little kingdom that lay between. Now, in these chapters Egypt takes the lead and Babylon closes, the lesser nations occupying the central position. The invasion and conquest of Egypt is the subject of this forty-sixth chapter from the thirteenth verse. Its decisive defeat at Carchemish is told of in the previous portion. It was in anticipation of that disastrous battle that Egypt, per- suading herself that it would issue so differently, is heard uttering the proud boastings of this eighth verse. At first it seemed as if these boastings were not vain, for at Megiddo, where King Josiah was slain, the Egyptian army did obtain a victory ; but, three years after, when they had pushed on to the banks of the Euphrates, Nebuchad- nezzar fell upon them there and completely vanquished them. Crestfallen and crushed, they had to make their weary wny back to their own land; and shortly after we read (2 Kings xxiv. 7), "the King of Egypt came not again any more out of his land: for the King of Babylon had taken from the river of Egypt unto the river Euphrates all that pertained to the King of Egypt." That was what came of all their vauntings, and the history is a noticeable one on many grounds. Now, it recalls to our mind the wise exhortation, " Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off " (1 Kings xx. 11). Let us note —
I. Some manifestations of this spikit of over-confidence. The Bible is full of faoti which illustrate this spirit. Pharaoh, in the days of Moses, asking, " Who is the Lord, that I should obey him ? " Goliath of Gath striding down the valley in furious pride to meet the stripling David. He swore by all his gods he would give those young limbs as a prey for the vultures to feed upon. Eabshakeh, again, general of the host of the King of Assyria, terrifying and dismaying the devout Hezekiah with his fearful threatenings. And we know how the distress lasted until Hezekiah took the letter of the haughty heathen and laid it before the Lord. Then, serene and strong, his spirit rose up, and he was able to make fit answer. And we know how Jehovah avenged Judah, her kini;, and her people upon the vast multitude of their foes who in battle array lay around them. For —
"Like the leaves of the forest when autumn hath blom^
That host on tlie morrow lay withered and strewn ; For the angel of death spread his wiuRS on the bltiati And breathed in the face of the foe as he passed.
•And the tents were all silent, the banners alone; The lanots unlifted, the trumpet unblown ; And the might of the Gentile, unsmote by the 8W0ld« Had melted like snow in the glance of the Lord."
And we think, too, of Haman in his rage at Mordecai, vowing vengeance, and iorely reckoning on wreaking it to the full. And Samson, imagining that nothing conld deprive him of his great strength, so confident that at any moment he could break through every barrier, but at lengih enticed, betrayed, overcome, and ruined. And passing to the region of spiritual things, we think of Israel pledging themselves, as they stood at the foot of Mount Sinai, to perfect obedience. Of that rich " fool " of whom our Lord tells, and who made so sure of many years to enjoy his " much goods " laid up in store. And of the many who were candidates for discipleship, avowing themselves ready to follow him everywhere. And of Peter, buasting that, though all men should forsake the Lord, yet would not he. And Judas, who trembled not to take the office of apostleship though so incapable of sustaining it. And in common life how often we see this same spirit! Our Afjjhan disasters in 1879 were largely owing to it. But in spiritual life there is the same peril. There may not be the uttered words of vain vaunting, but the spirit may be there notwithstanding. For how little there is of the trembling, the watchful, the prayerful spirit lest we should be overcome I How far too much tHmpering with temptation I How few " pass the time of their sojourning here in fear " lest they should " seem to come short " of eternal li£»i How many are like the foolish virgins, who, all careless as to the unsuppliad
CH. xLvi. 1— 28.] THK BOOK OF THE PROPHET JEREMIAH. 211
condition of tbeir oil-vesseU, nevertheless contentedly lay down to sleep! How many are at ease in Zion, allowing themselves in a carnal security which too often is but the herald of a fearful awakening I
II. Inquibe — What leads to this bpibit? Some are of a boastful disposition. These Egyptians evidently were. He concerning whom the cautionary words already quoted were used, " Let not him that girdeth on his harness," etc., was another such habitual boaster. And this is human nature. Our pride dies hard, but is puS'ed up with wonderful ease. Then : 2. False estimates have a great deal to do with it. Under- estimating our adversaries', over-estimating our own, resources and strength. Ilence BenhadaJ, who thouL;ht such scorn of Israel, on the very eve of battle was, we are tuld, drinking himself drunk in his tent. Hence many are found dallying with danger, fluttering, mothlike, round the flame by which they are sure soon to perish miserably, The jocular way in which the devil is so generally spoken of proves that we do but little believe in him ; for what men seriously believe they never joke about. And this false estimate is rendered more credihli; to us if we have obtiiiued auLiht of success heretofore. Egypt had at Megiddo; Benhadad had. Hence their estimates. 3. Per- version of Ood's truth. We encourage ourselves in this spirit of over-confidence by dwelling too exclusively on promises of protection to the ue^ilcct ol those which com- mand all watchfulness and prayer. Men will read ^jarts of the Bible only — those which please them most; and without doubt many have dwelt so much on the promises of God's upholding grace and his perfecting that which he begins, that they have laid aside their armour — that indispensable armour of God. But any reading of God's Word which leads us thus practically to disobey his command is thereby proved to be a wrong reading. For, just as the chemist's litmus paper, plunged into a solution contaiuiug acid, at once reveals by its turning red the presence of that acid, however invisible and imperceptible it may have been before, so any interpietatiuii of the Scriptures which leads to false security, premature and presumptuous coi.flilence, which makes us red with this sad sin, proves that that interpretation contains the acid of falsehood. It is a sure test. God help us to heed it as we should.